written by Dr. Cameron Jackson, Ph.D.. L.D. Licensed Psychologist 831 688-6002
Children with a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, NOS) have major social and communication difficulties.
Families need to be given the TOOLS how to have fun and be spontaneous with their children as they teach them. It is very hard on families to be social and engaging with ASDD children who seem to be in their own world, who seem to ignore their parents, who seem unaware of brothers and sisters.
The P.L.A.Y. project’s goal is to teach parents to PLAY in a fun way in developmentally appropriate ways. Not only the child – the whole family can benefit. Currently available in Monterey County, P.L.A.Y. is also available to Santa Cruz County parents. P.L.A.Y. is a vendor of San Andreas Regional Center which covers the four counties of Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Clara. Pl.L.A.Y. is a regional center vendor for under 3 children. It is appropriate for children before attending school.
The following information comes from the Easter Seals site. There is a link to the site at the bottom.
“Easter Seals P.L.A.Y. Project (Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters) program started in 2006. The mission of the project is to help young children (up to age 6) with autism spectrum disorders and their families obtain interventions that consist of 2-3 hours of intensive, individualized therapy per day, and are integrated with other therapies saving the parents time and money.
“The P.L.A.Y. Project is unique in that it provides training for the parents of children with autism so they can implement therapy at home. Easter Seals has home consultants, including specially trained occupational therapists and speech pathologists, to implement the P.L.A.Y. Project, enabling them to teach parents how to initiate therapy in the home setting. A child with autism needs 20-30 hours per week of therapy to learn and grow as quickly as possible. This project is highly cost effective for families and enables the child to receive a continuum of service throughout their day.
“The P.L.A.Y. Project was founded by Dr. Rick Solomon, who has diagnosed and treated children with autism for over 15 years. Dr. Solomon’s initial study of 70 children with autism demonstrated that 65% of the children in the P.L.A.Y. Project made good to excellent progress. Solomon’s study has been given tremendous credibility with its recent acceptance for publication in the Journal of Autism and receipt of a National Institute of Health grant.
Goals of the P.L.A.Y. Project include:
Improving parent/child relationships.
Improving behavior of the child reducing stress within the home.
Including siblings in coaching and training.
Creating strong families including improved spousal relationships
Improving child development so children are ready for school.
Improving systems for families so services are integrated, accessible, culturally-appropriate and of high quality.The P.L.A.Y. Project is partially funded by First 5 Monterey County, First 5 Fresno County and the Fansler Foundation.
“If you or someone you know would like information regarding the P.L.A.Y. Project, please contact Drea Martinez at 559-267-3952 in Fresno and Mark Wenzler at 831-684-2166 in Monterey.
“For more information about the P.L.A.Y. Project, you can also visit www.playproject.org.
Above comes from Easter Seals
